


Dear Hopeless Romantic

by Ironically_unironic



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Advice, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M, Newspapers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Principal's a dick but we been knew, Secret writing club, Shirbert, and cole definitley does, anne deserves better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-26 08:43:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20739440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironically_unironic/pseuds/Ironically_unironic
Summary: Anne joined the newspaper for personal reasons. Number 1, she wanted to be able to get her writing club approved by Principal Phillips, but number 2, it could actually be fun. She could review books or write about clubs or maybe even sneak in some creative writing. She definitely didn’t expect to be placed in advice. Advice meant a whole bunch of people sending in stuff to be funny, and everything else being overdramatic. But about a week into working in the advice column, she starts getting love letters sent in. And then a love song. And poetry. And they know it’s her, so it has to be someone working on advice. But the only other person working advice is Gilbert Blythe, and it can’t be him. Right?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I love Anne with an E. And I love modern AUs. So here's my first one. I asked some of y’all which one you wanted, but it was so close that I decided to do them all. This is the one I’m going to start with though. Keep your eye out for the others though!

Dear Hopeless Romantic,  
This is the second time I’ve written to you. I thought it would be a one-time thing but wow, there are so many things I forgot to tell you the first time. I told you about the way your hair looks in the sun, but I don’t think I told you the way your freckles scatter across your face as if painted by an artist. It sounds cliche, but it truly looks like stars are scattered across your face. I would look at each individual freckle and try to write a story. My favorite one was one that featured you on a long journey to find the butterfly who you had saved from the rain the day before. It seems like something you would do.

Someday I hope to go exploring with you. I would grab your hand, but you would lead the way. We could venture deep into the forest, where the foxes play, or we could sit on a hilltop and watch the sunset. We could sit on the beach and create a crown from the shells we find, or find a secret cottage in a secluded area. I guess none of those things could happen until I reveal myself though.

I saw you with Cole the other day. I know you aren’t together, so you don’t have to try to come up with something. I just thought it was inspirational how you stood up for him. If you had done that for me I probably would have fainted on the spot. It was brilliant. I don’t know if the rumors are true, and I don’t know if you know, but if they are, tell him there are tons of people who are supportive. He deserves the best.

Enclosed is a song I wrote for you. It was a while ago, but I thought you might want to see it. You truly are beautiful and inspirational and a perfect friend. I hope the song captured that.

Yours, forever and always,  
Apple Boy


	2. Principal Phillips is being a dick again, but what else is new?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne loves to write. She always has, So, she created a club. Now, she just needs Principal Phillips to approve it. Except he’s 35 minutes late. And a sexist jerk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1! No Gilbert yet, but he will be in the next one. My current update plan is once a week, but I’m not good at update schedules. I’ll try my best for you though.

Anne didn’t consider herself the type of person to give up. That’s why she didn’t give up when Josie Pye told her no one would ever join. That’s why she didn’t give up when her creative writing teacher told her she wasn’t available to work after-school clubs. That’s why she didn’t give up when Ruby Gillis told her in was “unrealistic” that a sophomore could actually start a successful club. That’s why she brought it to the school counselor. That was also the reason she had scheduled a meeting with Principal Phillips before school started. 

Technically, the meeting was supposed to start half an hour ago. School started in 10 minutes. Hopefully, Principal Phillips didn’t take too long to say yes to the idea.

The club was the best idea she had had in a while. The second she found out about the local library’s “Girls Who Write” competition, she started planning. The club would meet once or twice a week and participate in some creative writing, sometimes based on prompts, sometimes not. Then when the writing competition opened in January, they would start their piece for that. They could share their writing, help each other with editing, and ultimately become good friends. It was a foolproof idea, except for the fact that the 10th-grade writing teacher didn’t have the availability to run the club in the afternoon, and everyone knows morning clubs never do well. So, she was taking the idea to Principal Phillips to help find a teacher who would run it in the morning.

It was at this time that Principal Phillips walked into the building. He was strolling in as if he wasn’t 35 minutes late to a meeting. Anne stood up, gathering composure just enough to not start snapping at him.

“Excuse me, did you forget about my meeting with you?” Anne said in the sweetest voice she could behind gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry Miss. Shirley,” he said sarcastically. “I have priorities other than a single student’s meeting with me”

Anne was on the verge of slapping Mr. Phillips. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, getting coffee in the morning, doing my daily workout, getting enough sleep.”

Anne couldn’t take it. “Like a student’s needs. But if I had been even a minute late to this meeting you would have canceled. Says a lot about you, huh.”

Now, normally Anne would have apologized and backed down. Today was not a “normally” day. Today was the day she was going to get her club started. And now, she only had 3 minutes to pitch her idea to Mr. Phillips, because he definitely would not let Anne stay past the first bell. 

“Are you ready for my club pitch?” she asked, not even trying to hide the fact that she was annoyed. Principal Phillips rolled his eyes, but he sat down.

And so Anne pitched her idea. She shortened it a little because she didn’t have the whole ten minutes of pitch time she expected, but she got the point across in a short 2-minute pitch, so Mr. Phillips could ask any questions. By the time she was done, she had even calmed down and was prepared to have a civilized discussion.

That is until Mr. Phillips started talking.

“Absolutely not. If you want to write do it on your own time. Or join the newspaper. I know you are simply a sophomore, and hence, don’t know the difficulties of starting a club, but it is more difficult than just getting a teacher to say you can do it.”

“But-” Anne started.

“No buts. I’ve made my decision. Go join a club. Learn what it takes to start one. Then come back with a more stable plan. And then MAYBE I will say yes. Understood?”

“Fine,” Anne rolled her eyes.

“Now, get to class before you get detention,” Principal Phillips said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Anne stormed out of there as fast as she could.

Anne walked in the door of her science class just as the bell rang. She crept over to her seat. As she sat down she let out a big huff. The girls all look at her expectantly.

“What did he say?” Diana asked worriedly.

“He said I was ‘simply a sophomore, an hence, don’t know the difficulties of starting a club.”

“Girls!” Ms. Stacy interrupted. “Would you like to share what you think is so important you are interrupting my class to talk about?”

Anne was going to actually discuss the issue, but Aria beat her to it. 

“Principal Phillips is being a dick again, but what else is new?”

The entire class burst into laughter. Aria was Ms. Stacy’s favorite and hence, was the only one who could get away with cursing in class.

“She’s not denying it!” Erik shouted from the back of the class. That got even Ms. Stacy laughing. 

It took a few minutes to get the class settled down, but once they did the class continued as normal. No more questioning Principal Phillips’ ability to run a school. No more discussing Anne’s club. Not until Study Hall right before lunch.

_“And his hair trailed behind him, just long enough to feel the wind in it even with his cap. He had to attend to his journey, for his heart belonged not to the woman he was betrothed to, but to the adventure of the-”_

“Anne!” Anne looked up and saw Diana, Ruby, Aria, Tillie, Cole, and Josie, filling up all but one seat at the table, the one next to Cole.

“So what are we going to do about your club?” Tillie started.

“We can’t really do much. I tried a lot. We can’t do it at my house, because you know Matthew and Marilla. We’ve only got one computer and super slow internet.”

“We could do it in the library after school!” Ruby exclaimed. “It can be like a sort of secret society.”

“Not so secret when you are shouting about it,” Erik from science laughed, plopping into the seat next to Cole. “So whatcha guys talking about?”

Now, on a normal day, new people wouldn’t sit with them. Jane was absent so there was an open spot, but no one usually sat there. Especially not someone who doesn’t really talk to all of them. It was a new experience. Anne had never had an actual conversation with Erik, and from the look on Diana’s face neither had she.

“Anne was trying to start a writing club,” Cole began, turning to Erik. “She had a great plan and everything. Mr. Phillips won’t support it though, so we’re finding a way to run it secretly without him knowing.”

“Mr. Phillips doesn’t support it? I swear to god, that man hates his students. I mean, except certain ones,” Erik said, putting emphasis on certain. The entire table burst into giggles.

“Ooh, guys let’s do a storytime of Principal Phillips being openly discriminatory towards you. Ruby, you start.”

“I never told you guys about that time I got dress coded for wearing a normal shirt, with a little tringle cutout near the neck. I had to wear a hoodie that day. Meanwhile, Prissy Andrews, the senior, was wearing jean shorts with her entire butt hanging out. I think that the dress code is too strict, but maybe treat all the students the same.”

“I don’t deal with Principal Phillips. My mom is the epitome of a Karen”

“Well, there’s my club. And the fact that he showed up to our meeting 35 minutes late.”

“Um…” Cole trailed off. Erik turned to him and it was almost like they were having a telepathic conversation. Erik first had a look of questioning, and Cole looked worried. Then Cole’s eye’s softened and Erik’s were hopeful. Then they both had a look of determination.

“He wouldn’t let us start a GSA,” they said simultaneously.

Questions flooded through everyone’s mind. Was Erik gay? When did Erik and Cole become friends? When did this happen? The table sat in silence for a while.

It was no-filter-Josie who finally broke the silence. “Are you gay?”

Erik sat there, still, not making a sound. Everyone at the table started worrying, everyone having mini breakdowns, scolding Josie in their minds. But then Erik started laughing. Not uncomfortably, just good old laughter.

“The looks,” he giggled, “on y’all’s faces.”

Then the table started laughing. At first, it was uncomfortable but slowly it faded into pure laughter. They didn’t know what they were laughing about, but laughter was contagious. Anne definitely needed it.

The laughter died down when Mr. Olney turned to them. It still hung in the air, leaving a positive vibe surrounding them.

“Anyway, nah, I’m bi. My family still thinks I’m gay because I didn’t really want to have that conversation with them. Except for my sister. Shes-”

Cole interrupted. “But back on the topic of the GSA, right before we went in to pitch our idea, none other than Gilbert Blythe left his office with an approved computer design club. Like, no offense Ruby, I know you like him, but could he save club opportunities for things that won’t be irrelevant in 10 years.

“Didn’t Gilbert join newspaper afterward though? Like, he completely ditched his own idea,” Ruby reasoned.

“Is that supposed to be a good thing?” Anne wondered aloud.

“I hear he doesn’t even do anything. He’s supposed to work current events, but I’ve never seen a current events article written by him.”

Anne knew what she wanted. She wanted her club to get started. She wanted Principal Phillips fired. She wanted her story published, not that that was relevant. She wanted Gilbert Blythe to get it out of his head that he could do whatever he wanted. She wanted to prove she had a way better club plan than him. 

“I think I’m going to join the newspaper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s it. How’d you like Erik? I’ve never met an Erik, but something about the name gives me bisexual vibes. Leave kudos or comment, they make my day and are super motivating!
> 
> Also, if you want to get in contact with me, message me through Tumblr at fork-that-shirt

**Author's Note:**

> So don't expect too much, I'm not the best writer. If you liked it, there is nothing more motivating than kudos/comments. Also, for sneak peeks, check out my Tumblr @fork-that-shirt.


End file.
